Latest news with #MountRausu
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Hiker Tried to Fight Off Bear Before Being Dragged into Forest, Friend Says. His Body Was Just Found
Police said the victim was walking a trail on Mount Rausu on Aug. 14 when the attack happened NEED TO KNOW A hiker was attacked by a brown bear on Aug. 14 while hiking Mount Rausu A friend witnessed the victim being dragged into a forest by the animal Authorities confirmed that the body of the victim was found on Aug. 15 on the mountain Officials in Japan said a body found on a mountain is that of a missing hiker who was attacked by a brown bear The incident involving the male hiker and the animal occurred on Thursday, Aug. 14, on Mount Rausu in the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido, The Japan Times, The Japan News and NHK reported. Police said the victim was walking a trail on Mount Rausu on Thursday morning when the attack happened, according to the Agence France-Presse. The friend ran to help the victim and witnessed him trying to fight off the bear — before the animal dragged the victim into a forest, The Japan News and NHK reported. The friend, who was uninjured, reported the attack to police. They tried calling the victim's number but received no response. On the morning of Friday, Aug. 15, police and searchers came across a piece of a shirt that may have belonged to the victim near where the friend contacted authorities, according to NHK. A wallet linked to the victim was also discovered. Authorities said the victim was later found in the afternoon and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the AFP reported. He has been identified as 26-year-old Sota Keisuke, according to NHK. An official also told the AFP that hunters captured and killed a bear near the trail. A DNA examination will be performed to determine whether that bear is connected to the victim's death. Following the attack, authorities closed the mountain trail, The Japan Times reported. Officials with the Hokkaido prefectural government said Thursday's incident was the first recorded bear attack in the Shiretoko Mountain Range, which includes Mount Rausu, in 63 years, according to The Japan News. According to figures unveiled earlier this month, there were 11,600 brown bears in Hokkaido at the end of 2023, a decline of 500 from the previous year, the AFP reported. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. This latest incident comes nearly one month after a hunter in his 50s went missing also in Hokkaido — and just days after a brown bear was spotted in the area. A friend informed authorities that the hunter never returned from his outing on Mount Esan on July 15, The Guardian, Kyodo News and The Japan News reported. A gun believed to have belonged to the man was found near bloodstains, according to the reports. The disappearance came after a large brown bear was reported in the area on July 12. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Hiker found dead after brown bear attack on trail in northern Japan, officials say
A hiker attacked by a brown bear while walking a trail in northern Japan has been found dead, according to officials. The man in his 20s was hiking at Mount Rausu, on the northern island of Hokkaido, on Thursday morning when he was attacked, a local police spokesman told news wires agency AFP. Japanese media outlets, including the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, reported that the hiker tried to fight off the bear but was pulled into the nearby woods. He was found on Friday afternoon, local time, and taken to a hospital where he was officially pronounced dead, a Hokkaido government official said. Hunters also caught and killed a bear near the trail, an official working for Shari, a town near the mountain, told AFP. DNA analysis will be conducted to determine whether it was the same bear that attacked the hiker. A wallet containing a card that bore the man's name was found near the scene of the encounter in the north-eastern part of Hokkaido, according to local media. A torn, bloodied shirt believed to be his was also found Friday, with nearby trees and soil dotted with traces of blood, Japanese news agency Kyodo said, quoting police. Among other discovered items were a watch, a hat, and what appeared to be tear gas, Kyodo said. The number of brown bears in Hokkaido fell year-on-year in 2023 for the first time since 1991, according to estimates released this month. There were about 11,600 at the end of 2023, down 500 from a year earlier. The Hokkaido government attributed the fall to unprecedented hunting of brown bears, which has led to a record 1,804 caught in the 12 months to March 2024. AFP/ABC
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hiker Found Dead after Bear Attack in Japan Forest
A hiker attacked by a wild brown bear was found dead in northern Japan on Friday, officials said, a day after the bloody encounter that reportedly saw him dragged into a forest. The hiker in his 20s tried to fight off the large animal but was pulled into the nearby woods with his legs bleeding profusely, local media outlets including the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. The man was attacked while walking a trail on Mount Rausu on the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, a local police spokesman told AFP. On Friday afternoon, he was found and taken to a hospital where he was officially pronounced dead, according to a Hokkaido government official. Hunters also caught and killed a bear near the trail, an official working for Shari town -- where the mountain is -- told AFP. DNA analysis will be conducted to determine whether the bear was responsible for the victim's death. A wallet containing a card that bore the man's name was found near the scene of the encounter in the northeastern part of Hokkaido, according to media. A torn, bloodied shirt believed to be his was also found Friday, with nearby trees and soil dotted with traces of blood, Kyodo news agency said, quoting police. Among other discovered items were a watch, a hat and what appeared to be tear gas, Kyodo said. The number of brown bears in Hokkaido fell year-on-year in 2023 for the first time since 1991, according to estimates released this month. There were about 11,600 at the end of 2023, down 500 from a year earlier. The Hokkaido government cited unprecedented hunting of brown bears, with a record 1,804 caught in the 12 months to March 2024.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Hiker's friend watches in horror as brown bear drags man into bushes on mountain: report
A hiker in Japan was found dead on Friday after a brown bear reportedly attacked and dragged him into the bushes. The man — believed to be in his 20s — was walking ahead of his friend along a Mount Rausu trail in Hokkaido, Japan, on Thursday when he was attacked by a brown bear, local outlet The Asahi Shimbun reported, citing police. The victim shouted his friend's name, who after rushing to catch up, witnessed the man trying to fight off the brown bear, which then dragged him into the bushes, according to The Asahi Shimbun. The friend, who left the scene and was unharmed, then called the police to report the attack, The Asahi Shimbun reported. Following the incident, all three trails leading to Mount Rausu were closed. Hikers who were already on the mountain sought shelter at the Okhotsk bservatory, according to the news outlet. By the end of the day on Thursday, more than 71 people were airlifted out of the area by a helicopter. That evening, officials issued a brown bear warning near the trails on Mount Rausu, The Asahi Shimbun reported. On Friday morning, police launched a search and found several items —including a blood-stained shirt, wallet, hat and watch — lying dozens of meters from the trail. Bloodstains were also spotted on nearby trees and on the ground, according to The Asahi Shimbun. Hunters looking for the missing man shot and killed three brown bears on Friday near where his body was discovered, The Asahi Shimbun reported. Sightings of brown bears have recently become more frequent at Mount Rausu, which is a natural habitat for the species. Last month, a string of bear attacks across Japan prompted officials to host practice drills. Earlier this year, a bear attacked a man in his 70s near an elementary school in Nasushiobara City, Japan's public media organization NHK reported. Hokkaido Prefectural Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Hiker Tried to Fight Off Bear Before Being Dragged into Forest, Friend Says. His Body Was Just Found
Police said the victim was walking a trail on Mount Rausu on Aug. 14 when the attack happened NEED TO KNOW A hiker was attacked by a brown bear on Aug. 14 while hiking Mount Rausu A friend witnessed the victim being dragged into a forest by the animal Authorities confirmed that the body of the victim was found on Aug. 15 on the mountain Officials in Japan said a body found on a mountain is that of a missing hiker who was attacked by a brown bear The incident involving the male hiker and the animal occurred on Thursday, Aug. 14, on Mount Rausu in the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido, The Japan Times, The Japan News and NHK reported. Police said the victim was walking a trail on Mount Rausu on Thursday morning when the attack happened, according to the Agence France-Presse. The friend ran to help the victim and witnessed him trying to fight off the bear — before the animal dragged the victim into a forest, The Japan News and NHK reported. The friend, who was uninjured, reported the attack to police. They tried calling the victim's number but received no response. On the morning of Friday, Aug. 15, police and searchers came across a piece of a shirt that may have belonged to the victim near where the friend contacted authorities, according to NHK. A wallet linked to the victim was also discovered. Authorities said the victim was later found in the afternoon and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the AFP reported. He has been identified as 26-year-old Sota Keisuke, according to NHK. An official also told the AFP that hunters captured and killed a bear near the trail. A DNA examination will be performed to determine whether that bear is connected to the victim's death. Following the attack, authorities closed the mountain trail, The Japan Times reported. Officials with the Hokkaido prefectural government said Thursday's incident was the first recorded bear attack in the Shiretoko Mountain Range, which includes Mount Rausu, in 63 years, according to The Japan News. According to figures unveiled earlier this month, there were 11,600 brown bears in Hokkaido at the end of 2023, a decline of 500 from the previous year, the AFP reported. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. This latest incident comes nearly one month after a hunter in his 50s went missing also in Hokkaido — and just days after a brown bear was spotted in the area. A friend informed authorities that the hunter never returned from his outing on Mount Esan on July 15, The Guardian, Kyodo News and The Japan News reported. A gun believed to have belonged to the man was found near bloodstains, according to the reports. The disappearance came after a large brown bear was reported in the area on July 12. Read the original article on People
